The Mysterious Case of Randy Gregory

America has botched marijuana.

I firmly believe in the medical potential of marijuana. We already know about its contribution for patients whose treatments harmfully leave them with no appetite. Cheetos are better than no food at all. The stories of epileptic children whose lives have become manageable because of marijuana would make any parent cry. Some children who suffered seizures literally over a hundred times a day have gone down to just a few with just a very small dose. Read up on some of the promising studies done in Israel. We may have found the cure for brain cancer!

Why is industrial hemp illegal? The cotton and synthetics industry lobbies. When politics get out of the way, I believe we'll find sustainable utility outside of consumption.

We do know that a person can develop a psychological dependency on marijuana. That is my only reservation for states completely uncorking it for recreational use. And those states who will allow consumption but not allow any personal self cultivation have completely been bought by whoever has been promised the growers license.

The sooner the DEA reclassifies marijuana, the sooner science and society matures enough to answer some big questions and tackles some big issues.

You know what else this country has botched? Mental Health. Big Pharma keeps throwing chemicals to inhibit uptake, to trick receptors, to simulate agonists, and to bank big profits.

If any of you are on antidepressants, I mean no offense. I only hope you and your doctor are in close and constant communications, monitoring its affects and dosages very carefully. And as soon as a doctor administers one to combat the side effects of another, find a new doctor or at least get a second opinion. But what do I know??? And THAT should be the attitude of every prescription writer out there. We barely understand the brain enough without swirling around in its mechanisms.

**The preceding has been an endorsement for the responsible and objective regulation and study of marijuana, and a stab at the greed of the pharmaceutical, chemical and cotton industry along with the arrogance of the medical profession. It was in the guise of a football topic. Has it been a real football post, it would not have featured a huge BUST!!!

Poor kid. we have no idea what is wrong with him, and neither do his doctors! I think this is a different case than Reggie Bush, who fittingly, is a professional bush grower himself, nowadays. Awesome! As for Randy, I've heard he's on antidepressants, he's bipolar, he's addicted to pot, and this and that. In my unprofessional but educated opinion, his rehab stint will only be a good thing if they go back to zero...clean that brain! Who knows what junk they've put in there.

He's been a disappointment even on the field. But, I would love the story if he can get his head straight and come back to even half his potential.

No one?

First and foremost, Gregory needs to put his life in order, if it requires meds to achieve that then he will need to understand that..he's a young man that all too often has been left to his own devices, being an acclaimed stud athlete probably afforded him more leeway from those around him too look the other way, I'm just speculating here but maybe a tougher love would have started this process much sooner, but what's most important is that that moment has arrived and the process has started, lets only hope that this young man allows his maturity to kick n and realize there is a better way of life for him..and I don suggest this because I want him to be who we drafted, which would be nice, but more as a man that can thrive in this world without restriction.

Thanks for the invite lgkehoe..

Good to see you Coach!

I always ask people to put themselves in the shoes of the athlete they are judging. Its not about excuses for them, but understanding before condemning them. We all too often apply our own thought process onto someone else, "If that were me, I would...."

What many of us fail to understand is what Coach just highlighted - these athletes have very little opportunity to mature. They are often coddled as soon as the world around them discovers their potential.

Here is one more thing about Marijuana that we (society and fans) should understand before we uncork this thing into full on recreational use...It is fat soluble/It builds up in the fat cells. Anyone burning up reserve calories while being a regular user will have that effect on their judgement released again. Also, any excessive consumption compounds. Smoke, sweat, repeat. This is a big reason why chronic users become "psychologically dependent" - their judgement is perpetually skewed. Its the weed talking, even when they are sober. The only way for a regular user to get a clear head is with a prolonged absence.

If genuine, entering an in-patient facility was a big first step. And if THC dependency is the only thing Randy is combating, then I actually do have faith for his return. I just really hope its that simple.

I've been busy the past couple of weeks, but I didn't want this very worthy topic to pass without weighing in on the subject.  It deserves more conversation than it's gotten so far.

Not really sure how to organize this post, so I'll fall back on a numerical approach:

1.  I have never tried marijuana.  Not even a puff, not even once.  I've had my chances, but I have no interest.

2.  I believe that marijuana should be de-criminalized.  However, I am opposed to legalizing recreational consumption of marijuana.  I believe that marijuana should be researched for potential medical use and that it should be available for patients who benefit from it.

3.  I do not believe that marijuana is a benign drug and no worse than alcohol.  I don't know enough on the subject to be an expert, but my understanding is that a person can take a drink without getting drunk, but a person cannot smoke a joint without getting high.  Now, this is of course a very naïve and amateur understanding of the subject based on my limited knowledge, so I remain open to reliable facts and data that would clarify that point.  There is also the question of what actually constitutes being drunk vs. being high (it's probably not the same threshold for everyone), so there are a lot of additional questions to consider before any final conclusions can be drawn and I'll be the first to admit that I have insufficient information or understanding to decide for everyone else how things should be.

4.  Having said the above, I believe the NFL needs to take another look at its marijuana policy.  The fact that it's now legal in two states makes the league's approach a little suspect.  I suppose the league has the right to ban certain products and substances, but where a particular substance does not tend to unfairly enhance performance, I wonder where and how the line gets drawn.

5.  The approach to mental health by the government, the healthcare industry, the health insurance industry, and, indeed, by the public itself is inconsistent and counterproductive, bordering on pathological.  Depending on one's political leanings, mental health issues are either diseases over which the individual has limited or no control, or character failings that are entirely the fault of the person suffering.  I don't think either approach adequately reflects the truth, as in the case of Randy Gregory.  Gregory has had a proven problem since long before he became the Cowboys' problem, and I think it's equal parts disease and character flaw.  He landed in an organization that, for better or worse, postures itself as a second-chance home for wayward youth and claims to have the best and most appropriate structure in place to help these young men.  If that claim is true, then Gregory failed to take advantage of the resources at his disposal.  And there is ample evidence of that, as when he took an unauthorized weekend away from the rehab facility he was in and missed a drug test.  That's more than disease, in my mind.

6.  Big Pharma is the source of many of the problems with our healthcare and health insurance industries, and has in many ways created a culture of drug dependency in the U.S.  Turn on the TV at any part of the day, and you won't have to wait long before you see multiple commercials for a variety of drugs that help you sleep, wake you up, suppress your appetite, facilitate elimination, stop diarrhea, give you erections, prevent you from getting pregnant, curb your desire to smoke, keep your kids calm in school, grow hair, remove hair, add muscle, reduce fat, make food digestible, clear your arteries, relax you, make you more alert, and preserve your mental functioning when you suffer from dementia.  It's a dizzying array of cradle-to-grave medications, and it has exploded over the past 15 years.

Of course there is a role for many of these drugs, and many have been not only life-enhancing, but life-saving.  Without going into detail, I have benefited from pharmacological intervention, as I'm sure some of you have as well.  But there's a fine line between providing help and fostering dependency, and if we blur that line when it comes to "good" drugs, we shouldn't be surprised when others do the same with "bad" drugs.  If Randy Gregory has a character flaw, how much of it was aided, abetted, and encouraged by the way our society readily accepts medicating itself, often just for the hell of it?

7.  Perhaps there is no one right answer here, and that's what makes a solution so elusive.  We generally prefer the one-size-fits-all approach, because it's easier and less taxing of our material and mental resources.  With so much else to think about, it's much easier to medicate a problem, and then rehab someone when the medication has gone too far.  It's a revolving door of correctives that just keeps the individual spinning around in circles.

8.  I won't completely blame Gregory for his problems, but I also won't indict the system.  There are many factors in play here, and unless and until Gregory addresses the ones he can control, we're never going to get to address the structural ones we can change with better public policy.

Great points, '59. Let me comment on a couple of items...

2. Agree 100%. What is a crime is the crappy ass "science" our Feds gave us to justify the original (mis)classification. That's not my opinion, that is fact. What is my opinion, is we now have the empire building in the DEA and lobby takeover of the FDA perpetuating the crime. 

3. All very good points and questions. I do not immediately have the data to share, but do know that smoking is not the only means of administration. Many treatments are best dosed through tinctures and other consumables. Because of the slow release, the "high" can actually be leveled to a psycho effect similar to a "stimulation" of a couple of cups of coffee. But the greater point you made, and it goes back to point number 2 is that we need more studies, and the government preventing that chaps my behind!

5. If he has a disease, that is not his fault. However, he is responsible for his recovery. So,. you're right...an unauthorized weekend from rehab is not a good sign.

6. Excellent thoughts...the fostering of dependency, the hypocrisy, the societal cycle of over medication...very thought provoking and I so true. We need to get you on a public service commercial! 

I appreciate an open mind on this subject. We were brainwashed for decades into believing this was some great evil that was going to turn our kids into criminals or zombies. I'm glad the tide is changing, but if we just go over board in the other direction, we'll still be failing at our approach to a potential game-changing drug.

As for Randy, I believe Jerry will have more patience with him than the fans. Maybe this is a good (and rare) time for me to tip my hat to Jerry for being an alright guy.

Gotta give Jerry credit for trying...

(This is after yet another report of a failed test).

I must admit, in all matters concerning this football team, by now, I would have sent Gregory to the waiver wire.

Edit: Has anyone been able to confirm the [Ian bad]reports tweet?

Source


Jones said Sunday after the win over Pittsburgh, however, that he's not ready to give up on the former second-round pick. Jones said Gregory is still getting treatment.


"I know the details of his situation, and I can't and I won't comment on details about it," Jones said. "But I am not giving up on Randy Gregory for the Cowboys and certainly not giving up on him as a person in life. At all. Not that it makes any difference that I do, but I do not dismiss him from our future."

The chances of Randy Gregory ever becoming a productive player with the Cowboys diminishes with every new story and every setback. Jerry may not be ready to give up on him (and, after all, he's got a lot invested in him) is Jerry being Jerry, which means that he occasionally takes flight from reality.

It's going to take a lot of time and tremendous willpower for Gregory to ever live up to his potential. I think he lacks one of those, and it's not time. This is a guy with a serious problem.

My guess is that, if the Cowboys go after more DLs in next year's draft and start getting some traction on that side of the ball like they have on offense, they'll decide it's best to move on from Gregory. If Charles Tapper and Jaylon Smith return next season and play anything like their former selves, the Cowboys will have better options than waiting on Gregory to see the light and can quietly divorce themselves from him at an appropriate time. Any team's window is too narrow to waste time on a guy who can't be counted on. It's to Jerry's credit that he gives these guys every chance in the world, but this is one case where the guy in question keeps blowing chance after chance. After awhile you realize that the guy just isn't going to do what he needs to and you can't make him.

Yep, he is toast in my eyes. 

I still find it fascinating, though. And for only my own curiosity's sake, I wish I knew if it was all about addiction or mental illness. My need to compartmentalize and my need for concrete answers won't let me accept that it's likely a little (or a lot) of both. 

It's befuddling for me to contemplate how someone could pass on such an immense and unique opportunity.

LG, a lot of it is the upbringing of athletes to be pampered. We live in a world where its all about what you want to do and no one has the right to say you can't. It's a life addiction in part as well. It becomes part of your lifestyle in things you do and people you hang with. I listened to the Break and that was a key thing I heard, though it wasn't discussed in great depth. I remember Broaddus saying that based on who he hung with it wasn't a big surprise to him. Now I've heard people say that probably over 50% of the NFL players smoke weed during the season. If you're not "in the program", you get tested once a year and you have a pretty good idea when that's coming. If true, there are teammates that he might have been hanging with that light up, so how does he stay away from it. Word was, he looked up to and hung out with Greg Hardy. Not something the team liked and we see where things have gone for both of them.

Makes sense, caddy. Now, if only he knew when the test was coming and had the money to get a cleansing kit...wait...crap! It's neither mental illness nor addiction. It's stupidity!